If you are Spending the Holidays on Topsail Island this year or visiting the area…

Don’t miss out on these Good Tidings!

By Amy Baker

12/11/13

Spending Christmas on Topsail Island?

Topsail Island and the surrounding communities are all abuzz as the holidays are fast approaching! If you’re planning to be here for the Holidays, check out what’s happening on and around Topsail Island. If you haven’t made plans yet, we do have some great Christmas specials.

If you’re looking for something a little different for dinner while visiting Topsail Island, you can’t do much better than Em R Wings! This fun restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 9:30 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., and on Sunday from noon until 9:30 p.m.

This restaurant provides diners with great food and a memorable dining event. From appetizers like potato shots, zucchini wedges, mushroom caps, cheese sticks, crab dip and more to salads for those who are watching their daily calorie intake, there’s a little something for everyone at Em R Wings.

Most of these platters come with one or two sides and Em R Wings sides include salads, cajun rice, potato wedges, applesauce, vegetable of the day, cup of soup, a baked potato, potato salad, and beer battered fries. All of these choices are very good but the fries are wonderful!

Lighter Appetites often find the sandwiches to be an delightfully delicious and filling alternative. The fire sandwich may be a little too hot for some but, for those who like things a little on the spicy side, you’re taste buds are in for a treat. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, flounder sandwiches, French dips, clubs, Phillies, Reuben sandwiches, and more are available to satisfy a wide range of tastes. All the food is very good and you won’t be disappointed with any choice on the menu.

Even the kids menu does a great job of taking tiny taste buds into account, offering a surprising selection that includes corn dog, hot dogs, burgers, spaghetti, and the all-time childhood favorite, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And by the way, did I happen to mention that the wings come in many flavors and each flavor is available in mild, medium, hot or Shearon Harris Nuclear Hot! Flavors include BBQ, Spicy BBQ, Honey BBQ, Teriyaki, Spicy Teriyaki, Jamaican Jerk and others. All the wings are really tasty but their specialty, Buffalo Style Wings, are amazing.

Come for the atmosphere, stay for the food, which is simply delicious. Come in today and see for yourself why EmRWings is such a favorite among the local population as well as those who come to visit. Visit EM R Wings On Facebook

Baked Pizza Company of Sneads Ferry, NC is “Changing the World, One Slice at a Time!”

Attention all pizza pie lovers: a new kind of pizza place is coming to Sneads Ferry! One of the owners, Adam Baker, describes it as “New York Pizza with a Key West Style.”

The outdoor covered seating and the Marley and Martin rhythms ringing out from the former “Two Old Guys” restaurant, does set the scene for a laid back and fun dining experience. Located, right in the heart of Sneads Ferry, near Four Corners (the intersection of Hwy 172 and Hwy 210), Baked is sure to be a big hit!

The Grand Opening is Saturday, June 1, 2013, but Adam and co-owner, Timothy Fetkowitz, formerly of Long Island, NY, plan to start slinging some dough tomorrow. After meeting with these guys recently to learn more about Baked, I can hardly wait to try a slice…or two!

Together, Tim and Adam, (pictured below), have over 17 years of experience making and selling pizza, and they love sharing what they do with others. Food prepared with love isn’t unique to the South, but Adam and Tim’s vision for Baked is quite unique—especially for the South.

Sneads Ferry’s newest restaurant isn’t your typical pizza place. Their specialty pies are “true New York” style, and unlike most of their local counterparts, they’ll be serving these gourmet pizzas by the slice as well! Along with the “eggplant rollatini” and “baked ziti” pizzas, you’ll have to try the Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza and the “Baked and Loaded Potato” pie! At Baked, you’ll have the freedom to try them all at once—one slice at a time.

Of course, they have all the traditional Italian favorites like Manicotti, Ravioli, Chicken Marsala and Parmigana, and you can have a calzone or stromboli—just the way you like it. Maybe you’re in the mood for something a little lighter? Baked also has whole wheat and gluten free crusts. Heroes, wraps, and salads are (like everything else here) made to order from fresh, quality ingredients. For the kids, there’s even a “Half Baked” menu, with smaller portions and lower prices that everyone can enjoy.

Unlike most local pizza places, Baked will be serving (and delivering) beer and wine! Have a taste of their select microbrews or enjoy one of your old favorites—by the bottle or on tap. Be sure to leave some room for their homemade cheesecake too!

Guests of Treasure Realty can expect to see Adam at our check-ins this summer with free slices and coupons. Additional coupons for Baked Pizza Company will be supplied in every guest’s check-in packet!

Baked will be open daily from 10AM—10PM. You can order online or by phone at 910-741-0701. Dine in or pick up at 100 Dunn Road, Sneads Ferry, NC. For more information about Sneads Ferry’s newest restaurant, see their facebook page or check out their website (currently under construction).

The Riverview Café is the best place in Snead Ferry, North Carolina to eat seafood in a casual and relaxed environment. Not only is it a great place to enjoy a good meal with family and friends, but the food itself is unbeatable. Riverview Café has been in open since 1946 and generation after generation come back on a regular basis, be it locals or visitors to the area.

Daily Catch and Daily Specials

One of the things that make The Riverview Café so great is that it offers some of the fresh seafood to be found anywhere on the planet. The daily specials are based on what was caught that morning, so it is always changing. Whatever a guest orders, they can feel confident that it is fresh and cooked to perfection. The seafood comes right from the ocean, taken to The Riverview Café, and then placed on your table after it has been expertly prepared to your taste. You can’t get it any fresher unless you are eating it right on the fishing boat!

Affordable Dining

Patrons won’t break the bank when they eat a meal at The Riverview Café, but they will be full and satisfied. Actually, most of the guests say that their meals were way above expectations. Since families are important to a vacation area, it is essential that the food be excellent and accessible. Add to this the fact that the folks at Riverview Cafe want to share their love of seafood with the world, and it’s easy to see why The Riverview has something on the menu for everyone, young and old alike. It’s also why they take such pride in their food, offering some of the best dishes found anywhere, all at very affordable prices. For example, your child wants a hamburger. A hamburger is only $1.80. You can also a cup of creamy clam chowder for only $3.00 and a clam strip plate is only $9.50. This is a recipe that has worked for The Riverview since 1946. Offer great food at great prices and mix in the friendliest servers anywhere and you form a winning combo that folks in the area flock to year after year.

So Much More Than Seafood

There is a lot more to eat than seafood at The Riverview Café. They have juicy burgers, plenty of pasta dishes, chicken dinners, chicken tenders for the little ones, and even delectable steaks. Leave room for dessert because the cheesecake is to die for.

For more information about The Riverview Café, visit their website at http://www.riverviewcafe.net/. The menu and daily specials are listed here so you can decide what you want before you even get there!

Bill and I found ourselves at Captain Jim’s Seafood Restaurant Sunday morning. As any Sneads Ferry local and Topsail long-time vacationer will tell you, Captain Jim’s is THE place for breakfast, any day of the week.

Located directly on Wheeler Creek, Captain Jim’s has picturesque views of the water and is the next door neighbor to the brand new N.C. Wildlife’s pubic boat ramp. The Sneads Ferry waterfront area has been working on its image and the quaint feel you look for in a sleepy little fishing village is starting to take shape.

We arrived at the restaurant late Sunday morning and breakfast was still in full swing. Knowing that Captain Jim’s was one of the few restaurants that offered up fresh, local seafood on a breakfast menu, Bill ordered his favorite: a seafood omelet and I put my request in for a delightful standard: a bacon and cheese omelet. We were hungry and we were not disappointed! Bill’s omelet was filled to overflowing with a generous portion of sea scallops and shrimp and my omelet had plenty of bacon and cheese stuffed on the inside. My grits were perfectly prepared Southern style and I didn’t have to add a thing to them. Bill’s home fries were plentiful, brown and crispy, not overcooked. The bread offerings were English muffins, wheat or white toast or a biscuit, just what one would expect here in the good old South!

The staff was efficient and friendly and we left knowing once again we’d probably be back for the same meal. However, I did notice that many of the restaurant patrons had pancakes on their plates. Maybe next time I’ll give them a try! One of the best things about our breakfast experience was that we saw friends on our way out and got to chat a few minutes. That’s what’s so great about a little fishing village restaurant: You may run into friends and leave smiling!

Captain Jim’s Seafood Restaurant is located at 316 Fulcher Landing Road in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM, Friday and Saturday, 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM and Sunday 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. It won’t take a big bite out of your wallet and the seafood is local and fresh. Reservations are taken but not necessary. The telephone number is 910-327-3576.

If you’re in the Snead’s Ferry area or on Topsail Island, you really can’t go past an evening of great food an excellent entertainment at Rick’s Restaurant and Sports Bar. Rick’s is just 1 mile out of Topsail Island, so it’s a convenient spot to spend a great evening with friends. Each week this great establishment is jumping with live music, fun trivia nights, and some of the finest steaks and seafood you’ll find in North Carolina.

The folks on the Northern end of Topsail Island and Sneads Ferry have been hoping and wishing for a Mexican restaurant for quite some time now. Imagine the community’s delight when the Cancun Mexican Restaurant opened a few months ago, just in time to work out any kinks before the tourist season began. I rode by on opening night and couldn’t believe my eyes! The good sized parking lot was full and the over flow of cars were parked on the grass in front of the building. It looked like everybody within a fifty mile radius had shown up to quench a thirst for cold margaritas and Mexican beer and satisfy their Mexican starved taste buds with chips, salsa and fajitas. Not wanting to fight the crowds, I made a mental note to try it out a few days later on Friday night, when I would be feeling like getting my “Mexican” on. My husband and I and my brother and his wife felt festive as we pulled into the parking lot. We were concerned that we would have to wait for a table because the parking lot was almost full, but to our surprise, we were seated as soon as we walked into the building.

The inside of the restaurant was cheerfully painted in bright sunny colors and the music was typically Mexican. There was a rather large, attractive bar to the right that had a “sports bar” feel to it. Televisions were placed strategically at the bar and in certain corners of the building so that anyone who really wanted to could watch their favorite game. Even the patio boasted outdoor eating and televisions for sports enthusiasts.

We were greeted by a friendly server who seemed to know the menu well. She offered margaritas for $2.75 each and certain draft beers on the cheap too. Who could refuse prices like that? We put in our orders and were not disappointed.

My husband and I shared Fajitas for two, with chicken, beef, pork and shrimp. We loved it and it was more than enough for two hungry people. Our dinner partners had the same thing and were satisfied as well. The margaritas were not bad for the price. While we were waiting for our dinner to be served, we were amused when we overheard a local lady and a friend walk into the restaurant and one said to the other, “See? Now this is what I’m talking about! This is exactly what this town needs!” I couldn’t agree with her more! The Cancun Mexican Restaurant already feels like a Topsail Island established landmark.

If you would like to eat at the Cancun Mexican Restaurant, you will find it on 1092 N. Carolina 210, Sneads Ferry, NC 28460. The phone number is 910-541-0745. Hours are 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. with the exception of Friday, from 11:00 – 11:00p.m. There is a lunch menu that has something for everyone with great prices.